Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – It took some time for the University of Northwestern to discover its identity without its top hitter on Wednesday evening, but the Eagles recovered from a first set loss to beat Carleton College 3-1 (17-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-20) in the Knights' West Gymnasium. UNW's Cari Miller (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) led all players with 18 kills as the Eagles improved to 13-11 overall.

Official statistics from Wednesday's match are still pending.

Playing without sophomore Kendra Korporal (Sumner, Iowa /Sumner-Fredericksburg) in the midweek nonconference affair, the Eagles needed some time to find a rhythm on offense as evidenced by Northwestern's .083 first set attacking percentage. UNW found itself within two points of Carleton's lead at 10-8, but the host team turned things up a notch over the next several plays to bump the advantage to 20-14. Northwestern snuck in three more points, but that would be all as Carleton took Set 1 by a 25-17 score.

The Purple and Gold fought back in the second set as neither team was able to gain an early edge with the score tied at nine points apiece. While Northwestern had leads of just one and two, Carleton kept things interesting with two straight points to knot the scoreboard at 15-15 on Ashley Shin's service ace. That ace prompted the Eagles to go on the offensive, as Faith Vander Galien (Chanhassen, Minn./Southwest Christian) pounded back-to-back kills down to give UNW a 19-15 buffer. The gap widened towards the end of the set as Northwestern scored five straight points to finish the round with a 25-17 win to tie the match score.

The Eagles continued to rebound from their first set woes, finding a groove in the third set. While UNW put down 19 kills in the set, Northwestern needed extra points to go up 2-1 in the match as Carleton hung on past the usual 25-point mark that typically earns a set victory. Northwestern had a nice cushion at 19-10, but allowed the Knights to wedge their way back in, even as the Eagles held on to a five-point margin at 22-17. Three UNW attacking errors and a service error allowed Carleton to go on a 9-2 run that tied the score at 24-24. Three straight Northwestern kills saved the Eagles, who breathed a brief sigh of relief after a 27-25 set victory.

Carleton clung to a 16-15 lead midway through the fourth set, trying to push the end result into a fifth set, but Northwestern came on strong towards the end of the round to ensure that wouldn't happen. Lydia Palkert (Excelsior, Minn./Southwest Christian) and Lizzy Potratz (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian ) each got in a kill during a five-point swing by the Eagles that put the visitors up 21-16. While the Knights threatened with consecutive points on a service error and ace, UNW forced Carleton into a pair of attacking errors that ended the set at 25-20 and match at 3-1 in Northwestenr's favor.

After posting 11 kills on 36 attempts in the first set, Northwestern recorded 50 kills on 106 tries throughout the rest of the night to finish with a .303 hitting rate for the match. While Miller had 18 kills, Potratz and Vander Galien wrapped up the match with 13 and 12, respectively, with Vander Galien's attacking percentage resting at a smoking .688 by the end of the night. Krista Stoltz (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) had 49 assists in the victory.

Defensively, Lexi Bertsch (Andover, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian) posted 19 digs to lead the Eagles, with Jenna Staso (Missoula, Mont./Sentinel) also posting 15 digs in the back row.
 
Rachel Johnson and Karen Halls each had 12 kills for Carleton, who drops to an even 11-11 with the loss.

Northwestern will resume its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) schedule on Friday of this week as the Eagles host Bethany Lutheran College in the Ericksen Center at 7 p.m. UNW will then welcome Martin Luther College to campus for a Saturday matinee as the two teams square off at 1 p.m.